Friends Make Who You Are
by Crystal109
Summary: When Lily's parents die, James, one of her best friends, is there to help her. But is he really just a friend, or more... (Pretty cliche, but stick with me, 'k?)
1. Chapter 1

Friends Make What You Are

Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue… ^_^

~*Friends Make What You Are*~

            "James! Where are you? I have a maniac chasing me!" a boy with black hair yelled. A girl with bright red hair and green eyes was running after him. The boy was holding his arm, which looked black and blue. 

            "My, my, Sirius! Don't you think you have enough colors on you?" a boy strolled out of a portrait of a fat lady in pink, smirking. 

            "What colors?" Sirius looked around, bewildered.

            "Why, these colors, of course!" James pulled out his wand and immediately, Sirius was rainbow colored. The girl laughed and said,

            "James! That is so old school, take a look at this!" and she proceeded to put flashing colors on him. James grinned and helped, claiming a color war, while Sirius yelled shrilly. 

            "When you two are done using me as your guinea pig . . ." he shouted sarcastically. Both Lily and James were grinning their heads off as they stood aside, letting Sirius stagger into the Gryffindor dormitory ("Fairy lights.")

            James then turned to Lily, a questioning look in his face, and the pair exchanged smiles and walked outside, comfortable in each other's silence. They reached the lake, and after they had sat down, James turned to Lily.

            "So, how did the funeral go? Did you sister say anything?" he asked softly.

            The girl's eyes suddenly filled with tears as she was reminded of the pain that had made her cry for three weeks straight. "Oh, James! Petunia didn't even look at me! She's always looked at me like I was a freak and told me so, but at least she talked to me! But last week, she didn't even talk to me except to tell me everything was my fault and cry on her boyfriend. And you know what? She was right. After all these years, she finally is right. If I wasn't a witch, Voldemort wouldn't have come after my parents. They would still be alive. I could at least have been there, but instead, I decided to stay here! I could have saved them, I could have. . ."

            James shook her, hard. "It isn't your fault, Lily! Listen to me: if you had been there, you might not even be alive today. Petunia is going through trauma, and she wasn't there either, she was at her boyfriend's house- wasn't his name Vernon Dursley? So she has nothing to talk about, either. Voldemort has been going after a lot of Muggles, so it's not your fault!"

            Lily shook her head. "I know it's my fault, though, because. . . he. . . left a message for me, James. He left a message which told me that it was because I was a witch that he had known of my parents."

James glared at her then. "I refuse to let you go wallowing in self-pity like that. Lily, figure it out, won't you? _He would have gone after them sometime or another anyway_, and that is the truth. You know that. But if want to insist on killing yourself over this, go right ahead."

His callous words made her straighten up, and her eyes flashed, before her shoulders slumped once more. "James?" she murmured. "I'm so glad I have a friend like you. Without you – without any of the Marauders – I don't know how I would have survived through this. You helped me, and you brought me through this. Thank you so much, James."

            James said softly, "Next time you have a problem, Lily, you come to me, okay?"

            Lily stared up at him, and she laughed, painfully, but it was still a laugh. "I changed my mind. Actually, I know what would have happened if you hadn't been there for me. I would really be wallowing in self-pity and guilt. You're a great friend to me, you know that?"

            James grinned and said, "Well, that thought _had_ crossed my mind, why?"

            Lily had to laugh at that, and she lightly swatted at his arm. "See? That's why you're so good. You make me laugh with the simplest thing. . ."

            "I know, Lily, I know," he replied. "And I intend to see to it that you will never, ever, become like your sister: all bitter and kicking and ready to set blame on someone, especially yourself."

            "Hey, James?"

            "Yeah?"

            "You're a big brute, you know that? You're so cruel and evil to me. And you're my best friend. Shouldn't there be something wrong with that?" she said.

            "Well. . ." he edged, "not really. Why?"

            "Ohhh, I'm going to kill you, James Potter!" Lily cried.

            James smirked. "I think you shouldn't. But if you are. . . why?"

            And that was how the day ended. Lily ran after James, trying to chase him down so she could curse him silly, while James secretly exulted in the fact that he had made his best friend happy. Of course, the fact that he had forgone dinner just to help her should also say something about how much he wanted Lily Evans feel better.

A/N: Hey! If somehow, this seems familiar to you, it's because it is. I'm just rewriting it, because I think that I know more about writing styles now, and my 2-year-old writing style is so horrible, even I'm shuddering at it. So, R/R this, please?


	2. Chapter 2

Friends Make What You Are

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own this, never have. Own the plot, though! ^_~

~*Chapter 2*~

            "Hey, Lily, what's up?" James asked, strolling into the Common Room with a light step.

            Lily looked up from the parchment she was poring over and smiled. "Just the ceiling, why?"

            James sighed. "I should have known," he muttered. Then, "I mean, what are you doing right now?"

            "Well. . . I'm just working on some research. Again, why?"

            Grinning, James commented, "Well, I bet that research is getting a bit boring, right? So come on, I want to show you something!"

            When he began to drag her away from her parchment, Lily glared at him and snarled, trying to stay in her seat. "Whoa, wait a minute! I happen to like that research, thank you very much. Also, the last time you 'wanted to show me something,' I ended up being a scapegoat to one of your pranks! I had to sweet talk the Professor before I could get loose. Good thing she didn't think I would actually put up posters of Snape as a baby sleeping with a thumb in his mouth. . . So, you are going to tell me exactly what you'll show me _before_ I'll go with you."

            James paused and tried to look innocent and derisive at the same time. "First of all, research? Interesting? I don't _think_ so."

            "Just because _you_ don't have to study doesn't mean –"

            "Ah, ah, ah," James cut Lily's argument off. "You're pretty smart, too, and you know it. You don't have to do research either, and –"

            "Yeah, right. If I didn't do research for the Transfiguration homework, I would have been in big –"

            "_And_," James overrode Lily's voice once more as he looked at her warningly, "you were certainly not a scapegoat, as you so derisively call it. You were just. . . a distraction of sorts, that's all. Really. Besides, I'm not going to be using you as a distraction for a prank. This is a one on one sort of things. Just you and me. I promise."

            Lily looked skeptically at the tall boy, trying to figure out if he was serious about his promise. After all, he had broken promises before on much less incentive. Seeing her skepticism, James sighed and held up both hands.

            "See, Lily? No fingers crossed."

            "Fine, fine," Lily said exasperatedly, putting away her parchment. "Just let me put this away in my dorm and –"

            "Oh, no you don't!" James cried, pulling her away from the stairs leading up to her dorm. "You're going to put a whole bunch of charms on yourself because you don't trust me. I know that's what you did last time, don't try to disagree. So, you are coming with me now."

            "But my stuff –" Lily protested, trying to keep from being pulled away from her chair. Everyone in the Common Room was looking at them because of the big racket they were making, with Lily clutching to the chair and James trying to pull her away, at the same time trying – unconvincingly – that he wasn't going to involve her in a prank.

            Suddenly, Lily gave up fighting and let go of the chair. James, who wasn't expecting that, had been pulling her hard at that time, and he was so startled that he flew backwards, carrying Lily with him. She shrieked as she landed on top of him, then jumped up as fast as possible.

            "James Potter! _What_ were you thinking?" she cried.

            "I wasn't," James replied ruefully, trying to assess the damage done to his body. "Oh, if I get a bruise. . . it'll ruin me for the girls for sure!"

            As James looked himself over, Lily just rolled her eyes. Sometimes she couldn't believe the ego of that boy! She sighed, put a charm on her bag so that no one could steal it, then dragged James towards the portrait guarding the Common Room, not even letting him up as he protested.

            "Hey, Lily, stop! You'll muss up my clothes! What if some girl tries to ask me out or something?"

            "Oy, James, we still think you're pretty hot!" a girl sitting next to the fireplace cried out as her friends nodded in agreement.

            "Oh, brother," Lily muttered. "I have _got_ to get James away from these ditzy girls who stupidly think 'James is pretty sizzling hot.' In fact, they think he's a 'sizzling hunk o' meat'!"

            James looked startled at her comment. By that time, they had reached the portrait, and Lily had to let go of James in order to push open the portrait, so James managed to stand up in time before she tried to drag him all over the place. After he got his balance back, he raced after Lily, looking at him impatiently.

            "Wait, Lily! What did you say? I'm a sizzling hunk o' _what_?" he asked, appalled.

            "Meat. Doesn't it feel good to feel like something about to be butchered and cooked?"

            "Lily Evans, _never_, _ever_, say that again. That's the most horrid thing I've ever heard!"

            "Well, guess what? Your ex-girlfriend of one week was overheard saying that – _after_ you broke up with her. So, I think it's probably revenge. Unless she really did think you were hot. Unlikely, considering how you look," Lily commented.

            James turned red with embarrassment. "Are you saying I'm not hot? How dare you! I'm the best thing in this school since. . . since house elves!"

            "What about sliced bread?" Lily muttered under her breath.

            "Huh?"

            "Never mind. Now, what were you going to show me?"

            "Oh, right. That. Well, Lily, do you mind if I sort of. . . well, ummm. . . put a charm on you or something so you can't see where we're going?" James blustered, slowly backing away from Lily.

            Good idea. Lily blew up at him. "_What_? Are you _trying_ to get me into _trouble_? How in the name of Merlin do you think I will be able to walk? And trust you to lead me someplace innocent? I don't _think_ so! I mean, whenever you want something like this, you need something pretty badly – like a favor. And when you want a favor, you blackmail me and threaten me and all that other stuff. I absolutely _refuse_ to do so!"

            James sighed. He had some explaining to do, he suspected, as he looked at the furious girl in front of him. Really, he mused, it could have been a comical sight if he hadn't be subject to that horrendous glare of hers. After all, she was so short – well, maybe just a head shorter than he was – and she was so _small_. Still, her red hair did her justice. She could be quite the flaming vixen when she wanted to be. Secretly, James admired her for all the things she did, and at the bravery she showed whenever something horrible came up. Like her parents' death. She had shown remarkable recovery that, if he had not known her well enough, he might actually have suspected she didn't care. However, he knew that Lily cried in her bed every night. Knew that she needed comforting many times. Knew that she needed a friend and companion she could trust. And he knew all these things because he was the comfort. He was the friend and companion she could always trust. He smiled, then.

"Lily," he began, "you know how you really want something to cheer you up sometimes? Well, this is it, but it's supposed to be a big deal and everything, so you can't see it until then. If you really don't want to be blindfolded, fine. That's alright. But when we get there, you have to be blindfolded. Okay?"

Lily looked suspiciously at him once more. She didn't know whether to trust him or not. His gray-blue eyes looked at her entreatingly, and she had to give in. He used that look every time, and every time it would work. She should know: she taught it to him.

"Fine," she sighed, giving in. She wouldn't admit it, but she was also pretty curious about his surprise.

James grinned and grabbed her hand. "C'mon, then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"We _were_ waiting for you to lead me to this oh-so-secret location," Lily muttered under her breath as she hurried to keep from being dragged by James.

James snorted but didn't reply, intent on making his way towards his destination. Lily gritted her teeth, trying not to yell at his "slight" stupidity. _Where were they going?_ If Lily didn't find out within the next five seconds. . .

"We're here," James abruptly said, stopping in front of a portrait of a brilliant flower, bending and moving in the bright sun and cool wind.

Lily didn't really notice this, however, as she narrowed her eyes. James seemed to have read her mind and had led her to his destination within five seconds. Now she couldn't pummel him to death!

"ARGH!"

James slowly backed away from her. "Uh, Lily, we're _here_ now. There's no need to get mad. And I have. . . to. . . blindfold you?"

Lily snarled at him. "You. . . you imbecile! You just had to arrive in five seconds, didn't you?"

Looking at her with an extremely confused look, James shook his head. "Lily, calm down. Breathe. In, out, in, out, in, out. . ." He imitated his own instructions, breathing in and out rhythmically.

Some more glaring was involved. "Come on, if you're going to do this, get on with it!" Lily snapped.

James was extremely confused about her sudden change in mood, muttering to himself about PMS as he got out a blindfold and placed the soft cloth over Lily's eyes. He tied it so that it wasn't too tight, but made sure that she couldn't just pull the blindfold down. That done, James stepped up to the portrait and said indistinctly, "Booga wooga."

Lily laughed at that password, her mood already clearing up. She just enjoyed teasing James – he became scared of her so _easily_! It was so fun to see him get scared. . . Then, she felt James's hand in hers again, and she let herself be led into the room that the portrait, had, apparently, revealed, hoping against hope she wouldn't trip.

"Annnd, without any further ado, I present to you. . . hey, I rhymed! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! Cool, I seem to rhyme all the time! And –"

"James, if you don't get this thing off me in the next ten seconds. . ."

"All right, all right. Don't get all weird on me! So, without any further ado, I _give_ to you. . ." James took off Lily's blindfold. "This!"

Lily looked around her, gasping slightly. Had James done all this, just for her? A fireplace crackling ever so softly lighted the room, and its slight glow bounced off a big armchair. Next to it, and behind it, there were books. Hundreds of them! James obviously had known that Lily loved books, and he had brought her here, to do. . . what? She turned around and looked at him with shining, yet questioning, eyes.

James shuffled around slightly, "Well, Lily, I saw how sad you were, and I knew that you loved books, and that your parents. . . used to send you tons of Muggle books. And since Petunia probably won't send you anything, much less books –" James's voice held scorn and disdain for the absent Petunia – "I though that maybe you'd like to have your own personal library. So, I just asked around, found a room that was unused – there are a lot of them around here, you know – and that looked like it would fit my needs, and I just, well, stocked it with books! All types of books, too, research books, fiction Muggle books, everything you'll ever need. And it's all yours, Lily, all _yours_."

Lily smiled then and hugged James as tight as she could. "Oh, James, thank you so much! I'm so glad you cared enough to go to all this trouble and get me this – Wait. How did you get all these books, anyway?"

James looked even more embarrassed. "Well, I sort of asked around, and –" He caught sight of Lily's stern look and caved in. "Fine, fine. I owled my parents and asked them for help, and they started sending me books. That's why it took me a month to get this together. I hope you like it and will use it a lot."

James's voice went up on the last word, making it into a question. Lily couldn't speak, and she just nodded fervently. "Well, come on, James, show me around! I can't possibly know how everything is done unless you tell me! I got lost in the Hogwarts library the first time I went in there. Oh, wait, I should name this room, shouldn't I, just to make it feel cozy?"

"Nah," James replied. "It's already named. I didn't know it was until when I was almost done with the books, so I didn't bother to move out. Besides, I think it fits you."

"Well?" Lily prodded. "What is it?"

James smiled. "The Tiger Lily Room."

 Lily and James spent the rest of their day inside the Tiger Lily Room, talking and laughing and reading. It had become their own sanctuary, just for them.

A/N: Oh my gosh, this is a horrible chapter, because nothing really happens, so I'm really sorry! I just hope the next chapter might be better. Right now, I don't really know how to continue this story, so. . . any suggestions? And I know the name of the room isn't that great – help me out there, too, please? I do hope you liked it at least a little bit! Please, R/R! ^_^

Shout-outs:

J.E.A.R.K.Potter – Thanks! I just wish my nice start won't stutter into a bad finish. . . I hope this is another good chapter!

ShOrTnSwEeT9013 – Yup, this is the next chapter (as you must have gathered. I'm the queen of obviousness!) and maybe you'll like this one too?

sweet chicky – I'm glad my story is easy to understand. I've always thought my stories were convoluted with words they didn't need. (Convoluted = clogged, etc. See what I mean?) Oh, well, I don't think I went overboard in this one!


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